For years, they’ve called themselves Democrats, progressives, veterans of the women’s rights movement — and supporters of U.S. Sen Al Franken.

That last part isn’t uttered so easily now.

“I trusted him,” Sandra Pietron of St. Paul, a supporter of Franken, said Friday, drawing her words carefully to ensure they carried weight. “I’m deeply disappointed.”

Pietron and a hundred or so like-minded women — supporters not only of the post-Trump women’s movement but its modern forebears like the Equal Rights Amendment of the 1970s — gathered in the Capitol Rotunda in St. Paul bearing signs that read “I believe her.” It’s a statement of solidarity with women coming forward with allegations of harassment, abuse or rape by men in power.

Many of them said it was then-candidate Donald Trump’s words and actions that injected new resolve into their cause. Hillary Clinton was to be, at long last, the first woman president. Trump loomed over her in a televised debate. He called her a “nasty woman.” He brushed off his own boast that he could “grab ’em by the p—-.” And then he won.

The women’s marches that followed, Pietron and others at the rally said, helped set the groundwork for what would become the #MeToo phenomenon.

And then one of the “him toos” became Franken, a former comic with a rocky past for offensive humor — but who many believed had emerged as nothing short of a male champion for women’s rights, a perfect pairing for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, also a Democrat.

“I was shocked. I was sad,” said Karla Sand of Maplewood, who chairs the DFL Senior Caucus. “I was already sad because of Dan Schoen, but then, Al,” she said, shaking her head and glancing down.

Several veterans of women’s rights issues said mistreatment of women has always been a bipartisan phenomenon.

“It’s everywhere,” Pietron said. “That’s why we’re here today.”

RAPE VICTIM SPEAKS OUT

A Minnesota woman and rape survivor who worked with Franken to craft legislation for fellow survivors said Friday the senator should take his name off the bill.

Abby Honold, 22, who was raped by a fellow University of Minnesota student in 2014, called Franken’s conduct disappointing and said someone else should champion the bill.

DAYTON SEES NO DOUBLE STANDARD

Gov. Mark Dayton, who earlier this week — before the Franken news broke — said any legislator who committed sexual harassment or assault should resign, on Thursday said a Senate ethics investigation was the proper recourse.

An ethics investigation is almost a certainty, as Senate leaders for both parties — as well as Franken himself — have called for one.

When asked to reconcile what some would call a double standard, Dayton, a former U.S. senator himself, said the Senate Ethics Committee is “widely respected.”

Nearly every other top Democrat also stopped short of asking for Franken to step down, with the notable exceptions of state Auditor Rebecca Otto and Rep. Erin Murphy. The two Democrats, both running for governor, said Franken should lead by example and step down. Otto called Franken a friend, but said “we can’t have a double standard.”

FRANKEN SENDS LETTER TO TWEEDEN

In a guest appearance Friday on ABC’s “The View,” Leeann Tweeden — the woman in the photo — read a letter she received from Franken.

The two had been performing for military personnel in Afghanistan two years before the onetime “Saturday Night Live” comedian was elected to the Senate. Tweeden, a former Fox TV sports correspondent who now is a Los Angeles radio anchor, has said Franken had persisted in rehearsing a kiss and “aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.”

Franken told Tweeden in the letter he wanted to “apologize to you personally,” adding: “I don’t know what was in my head when I took that picture. But that doesn’t matter. There’s no excuse. I understand why you can feel violated by that photo. … I have tremendous respect for your work for the USO. And I am ashamed that my actions ruined that experience for you. I am so sorry.”

Dave Orrick reports on state government and politics from the Pioneer Press' Capitol Bureau. When the occasion demands, he's been known to cover topics ranging from hunting to golf. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and son.

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